Fez – Meknes regional convention.. Abdellatif Ouahbi reassuring citizens: « This is how he have maintained the gas butane bottle’s price and these are the measures taken by the government to protect our national economy”

The price of gas butane bottle, compulsory assurance, wheat prices, subventions of job market as well as many other measures were simplified by PAM Secretary General Mr. Abdellatif Ouahbi during his orientation allocution addressed to PAM regional convention of Fez – Meknes area, held in Fez last Saturday morning, November 19, 2022

Mr. Ouahbi has exposed a number of big decisions made by the government over successive meetings and which interest national economy, since the state has provided big budget funds to subsidy prices and preserve their stability in the market.

Mr. Ouahbi said that the government has deployed tremendous efforts to maintain the stability of gas butane bottle price, in front of market fluctuations by providing expenses allocated to subsidy gas butane over the first nine months of 2022, by an increase of 70%, with an average of MAD 97 for each bottle of 12kg.

PAM Secretary General has also outlined that the government is expecting the increase costs of wheat imports this year by more than MAD 8.5 billion, plus MAD 1.3 billion to cover for national flour and soft wheat, and that costs for compensation fund for this year are expected to register an increase by 72% without counting costs for subsiding public transportation professionals.

Regarding basic compulsory assurance on sickness, Mr. Ouahbi has confirmed that it was for the benefit of about 4 million families in vulnerable situation, by allocating about MAD 9.5 billion; the fact which will ensure for this social category access to hospitalization in line with remaining beneficiaries of compulsory health insurance.

About rehabilitation of national health system, PAM leader said that the government has decided to allocate an additional MAD 4.6 billion so that the overall budget dedicated to health sector and social protection will reach more than MAD 28 billion, with the creation of 5500 financial budget positions to the health sector, plus more than MAD 1.5 billion to increase salaries for health staff.

About providing pharmaceutical drugs and ensuring medical treatment for vulnerable social categories, PAM SG has reaffirmed that financial funding will be increased for medicaments to about MAD 2 billion.

On the major project of generalizing family compensations as endorsed by the government in the context of social protection, Mr. Ouahbi has informed the convention attendance in Fez – Meknes area that the government will be working on implementing this project before the end of 2023, as about 7 million children from lower- income and poor families will benefit from it and other 3 million poor families in vulnerable situation without children at school age will also benefit from the program.

Concerning reform of the educational system, PAM SG has recorded that the new budget bill has allocated an additional MAD 6.5 billion so that the overall budget dedicated to educational sector has reached about MAD 69 billion, clarifying that MAD 2 billion for primary education and about MAD 1.8 billion for accommodation and catering at boarding schools, along with MAD 1.6 billion to subsidy a conditional program for school attendance called “Tayssir”, which will be replaced by family compensations by end of 20233.

To improve the situation of teachers and educational executives, Ouahbi said: “More than 20 thousand positions will be created with paying promotions arrears. Training will also be given a greater interest as about MAD 4 billion will be allocated for training programs over the period 2022 – 2026, and 224 new educational establishments will be built and 1746 school buildings will be restructured.

In the same intervention, Mr. Ouahbi added that “as regard to higher education, and reform of the Moroccan university, additional MAD 600 million will be allocated to this sector; while the government has allocated MAD 4 billion to increase salaries and compensations in the health, education and higher education sectors.”

PAM Secretary General has also talked about important measures taken by the government to alleviate tax burden on middle social class and retired persons; this package will cost MAD 2.4 billion, making clear that access to appropriate housing, the government will establish direct subventions for families to earn their housing.

Ouahbi has confirmed that regarding the program of encouraging the integration of youth in job market, the government continues to implement the program called “Awrash” which is aimed at creating 25 thousand new job positions, during 2022 and 2023; another sum of about MAD 2.25 billion in will be included in the budget bill in addition to pursuing other programs such as “Intilaqa” and “Fursa” which will get MAD 1.25 billion.

Mr. Ouahbi has concluded that in terms of job positions, 48 thousand and 212 financial positions will be created in comparison with 43 thousand and 860 in 2022.